Chance Encounter at the Corner, Deception

The fine rain still fell softly, and everything happening in this corner went unnoticed.

At this very moment, on a street elsewhere.

"Pitter-patter!" "Pitter-patter!" "Pitter-patter!"...

A blond boy in an orange jacket ran through the rain with one hand raised over his head, sprinting with all his might.

"It's all that stuck-up Sasuke's fault!"

"If it weren't for him... how could I have... Achoo!"

The forceful sneeze made him stop. The little hand held above his head was utterly useless against the fine curtain of rain, and he was already soaked through.

With a miserable look, he lowered his hand. Like a drowned rat, he wiped his nose hard and muttered to himself in complaint.

"Ugh... I actually caught a cold... I'm definitely putting this on that bastard's tab!"

"Next time we have class, I'm going to teach him a proper lesson!"

Just as he grumbled to himself, a tall figure suddenly appeared through the rain at the far end of the street corner.

The tall figure, clad in rain gear, had an utterly ordinary appearance.

However, upon seeing the drenched blond boy across the street, a flicker of surprise suddenly flashed through his eyes, and he murmured with a soft laugh.

"Oh, what a coincidence..."

"Heh heh... It seems my luck is quite good. This brat meets the requirements for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in every respect... So... he is Naruto Uzumaki...?"

Naturally, the dejected Naruto did not notice the tall figure at the end of the street.

He was simply feeling deeply miserable. His eyes were filled with disappointment, and standing in the rain, he looked pitiful indeed.

Why... did all the other students have parents to pick them up...

Clearly... clearly... Dad was the Hokage, wasn't he... the highly respected Hokage...

Then why... was I, the Hokage's son,